A Zoro is Better Then a Hero
by inkywings
Summary: Sequel to oneshot Hero. Song fic, shounenai ZoLu. Luffy needs to know what's wrong with Zoro, and he find out. But Zoro is in for a surprise. Luffy never needed a hero. He needs a Zoro. And he has one. 2nd sequel up! Completed.
1. Chapter 1

**(IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE! This has NOT been beta'd! I repeat, NOT been beta'ed! I don't know where Digital is, but she seems to have dissappeared on me. So sorry for the horrible grammar!)**

**The first sequel to Hero. Yes, first. There are two endings, the second shall be posted some time in the near future. The idea for this one came From DIgitaldreamer. God, I swear that girl is obsessed with rain scenes .O. Well, read on!**

**Warnings: None o.o**

_Would you dance _

_If I asked you to dance? _

Rain dripped over the brim of his straw hat, the wooden material letting the water slide over the tip and onto his face that was already soaked, along with every other part of his body. The icy cold rain chilled him to the bone, but he didn't care about any stupid rain. All he cared about was the man who had been avoiding him for the past two weeks and who was currently loose in this town.

_Would you run _

_And never look back? _

It had started when he was searching for Zoro on the ship, finally sick of the silence and ready to talk to him. But Zoro had run. Had he seen Luffy or something? Because he had cursed well gone into the town and now Luffy was looking for him everywhere.

Where are you, Zoro? Why did you run? From me?

_Would you cry _

_If you saw me crying? _

Was it something Luffy did? Zoro mentioned Zoro not being right for Luffy... then maybe it was something about Luffy. Was it something he said? Something he did?

Luffy shook his head. No use thinking about it. He had to ask Zoro himself. And he would. He had to know.

_Would you save my soul tonight? _

His sandaled feet his the wet cobblestone, making loud wet slaps against the hard, cold stone. "Zoro?" he cried out, looking left and right down a dank alley way before drawing himself in. Jumping over a trash can, he continued his quest through the dark and rainy night.

_Would you tremble _

_If I touched your lips? _

He felt his feet catch on something solid and he tripped, sailing a few feet before landing on the ground with a dull _thud. _

"ZORO!" he cried again, desperate. "ZORO!" The sting in his chin where he had scraped himself hurt a bit, but not as much as what Zoro was doing to him. It wasn't fair! If Luffy had done something wrong, Zoro could have least told Luffy what it was! It just wasn't fair!

_Would you laugh? _

_Oh please tell me this..._

He tried to push himself up with the elbow of an arm, but just collapsed again, emotion making him weak. He could see his face staring back at him through a puddle that lay before him. Small and scared looking, rain dripping down his faceand into the puddle of water, sending ripples across his reflection.

_Now would you die _

_For the one you love? _

A clap of thunder rang out through the air as Luffy slapped his hand into the puddle, affectivly ridding it of the image of his face. No one had the right to copy his face, not when he was like this. He had to fix it. But for once, he feared he couldn't fix things. Because the one who was always there to catch him when he failed, to help him succeed...

...was Zoro.

_Hold me in your arms tonight..._

Luffy felt a gentle tug underneath of his arms and he felt himself being pulled to his feet by a pair of strong hands.

"What are you doing out here?" the figure asked quietly.

Blinking, Luffy looked behind him and at the man who had pulled him to his feet. It was Zoro.

_I can be your hero, baby _

_I can kiss away the pain..._

Luffy stared into those dark eyes, wincing at the cold stare he was receiving. Yes, Zoro did this often. But never to him.Never to Luffy. And now the younger male could see why people didn't like it so much. It was... scary.

"Zoro..." Luffy whispered, a bit of fear in his voice. It wasn't the man in himself that scared him. What scared him was the idea that this would be permanent. That Zoro would never come back to him.

_I will stand by you forever!_

_You can take my breath away..._

Zoro hated the look Luffy was giving him. It was so innocent... so unsure. He didn't want to see his captain like this, but it was the way things needed to be. Zoro was standing in Luffy's way. Sooner or later, the straw-hat boy would realize this, too. And he would move on.

Zoro was just helping him along.

_Would you swear _

_That you'll always be mine?_

"You should get back to the ship," Zoro said gruffly.

The look on Luffy's face was one of stubbornness now. "No," he said. "Not without you."

Zoro frowned. Why did Luffy always have to make these things so difficult? "I already told you, it's over. I said you don't need me. And... I don't need you."

_Would you lie? _

_Would you run and hide? _

Those words stung Luffy worse then any wound he had ever gotten. It hurt him to see Zoro reject him like this. He felt his eyes begin to sting as he desperately fought back the tears. He wouldn't let Zoro see just how badly he had hurt him.

_Am I in too deep? _

_Have I lost my mind?_

_Well, I don't care you're here tonight... _

"What is your problem?" Luffy exclaimed, frustrated. "Did I do something wrong? Is that it?"

Zoro blinked in shock. How could Luffy ever think that? It was never him. It was Zoro. And what Luffy needed most was everything Zoro wasn't. He needed a hero, and Zoro just couldn't give him that.

_I can be your hero, baby_

_I can kiss away the pain..._

"It's got nothing to do with you," Zoro said through gritted teeth. He wasn't trying to bite back a rage. He was biting back the urge to hold Luffy in his arms again. To tell him it was okay, that nothing was wrong. And to beg him to take Zoro, even thought he was just that. Zoro.

But he couldn't. That was his selfish side speaking. There he went again. He was doing it again. Being what he shouldn't.

_I will stand by you forever! _

_You can take my breath away..._

"Then what is it?" Luffy asked, voice contorted with pain. "What's wrong, what do you need?"

But Zoro was already walking away.

_Oh I just wanna hold you. _

_I just wanna hold you..._

Luffy could feel a warm trickle of liquid leak from his eye to mix in with the rain. The salty tear ran down his cheek and past his open mouth, which was begging for sound to come out. Any type of sound. As long as it stopped Zoro from doing what he was doing.

Which was walking away again. Luffy could barely handle it the first time, he wouldn't see it happen again.

_Oh yeah _

_Am I in to deep? _

Luffy forced strength back into his legs and he darted forward, grabbing hold of Zoro's arm and affectivly stopping him in his tracks.

"No!" Luffy yelled as another clap of thunder roared from the heavens. "No, Zoro, not again!" he cried. "You can't leave me again!"

_Have I lost my mind? _

_Well, I don't care you're here tonight..._

Zoro was in shock. He had expected Luffy to stand behind, like he had done the first time. And just let Zoro leave in peace. Couldn't he see he was just making it all worse? "Luffy..."

"No!" Luffy sobbed. "You promised, Zoro! You promised! You promised you would never leave me!"

_I can be your hero, baby _

_I can kiss away the pain, oh yeah..._

Zoro looked down at the smaller man. He hadn't seen Luffy this upset before. Ever. Not even when he had fought Usopp. This was different. Luffy was crying... for him?

"Luffy," he said gently, voice cracking. "You don't need me. I'll just... bring you down."

_I will stand by you forever! _

_You can take my breath away..._

Luffy looked up, sniffing. What?" he asked in a shaking voice. "Zoro, you can't bring me down..." he whispered."You... you're the one who holds me up."

_I can be your hero _

_I can kiss away the pain..._

"I'm..." Zoro whispered, looking down into the small, determined face. "I'm no hero, Luffy."

Luffy stared back up at him. "Who says I need a hero?" he asked, locking his eyes with the swordsman's. Letting go of Zoro's arms, he wrapped his arms around Zoro instead, hugging him close and burying his face in his chest. "I don't need a hero. I have something better. I have a Zoro."

_I will stand by you forever..._

Zoro felt the arms wrapped around him, but it didn't seem real. Slowly, almost scared to move too fast, he wrapped his arms around Luffy's waist and brought him closer.

Luffy could feel the returned embrace and smiled slightly, looking up.

_You can take my breath away..._

"Are you sure?" Zoro asked, looking the younger boy in the face again. "Are you sure... I'm good enough?"

Luffy smiled. "You're more then I want," he informed him. "You're Zoro!" He grinned slightly before standing on his tip toes, planting a small, gentle kiss on the others mans lips.

_You can take my breath away..._

Zoro smiled as Luffy pulled away. It felt so right. To have Luffy in his arms again, smiling at him. He had said all Zoro needed him to. And that was enough.

Zoro was no hero. He was far from it. But looking into the dark eyes, so full of trust, love... everything Zoro was afraid wouldn't be returned... he felt safe. It was all okay.

Bending down, he kissed Luffy softly, feeling his eyes shut lazily and he tightened his arms around the smaller boy.

Luffy didn't need a hero. He had Zoro. And that was hero enough for the smaller boy.

_I can be your hero._

**I must say that turned out better then I expected . The lyrics to the song are to Hero by Enrique Iglesias. Hope you enjoyed it! The other sequel won't be going up until ten reviews so get reviewing! I'd really like to hear your thoughts!**

**By the way, for all the people who are saying "ZOMG, ZOLO ISNOT GAYZ SO SHT THE FUCK UP!11oneone"... yeah, shut up. Please. I don't need reviews like that. If you don't think Zoro is gay, then fine. Tell me. But only when you have solid evidence saying he is not. Good luck finding it because I know you won't. Until then, save the reviews for people who actually comment on the story and don't give their bias opinions. Thank you.**

**REVIEW!**


	2. Broken

**A/N: I swear to God I have a reason for keeping you guys waiting! That is, if any of you guys are still there. I wouldn't be surprised if you've all given up and left ;o;. But I write this in hopes that some are still out there.**

**My excuses are that first of all, my friend Fire threatened me and I promised to not write any more OP... but technically, I had already begun this so it doesn't count. Or at least that's what I tell myself. Second of all, I couldn't find a god damn song. I needed three songs that had to deal with heroes, not easy! Finally, I just settled on another one from a Kingdom Hearts music video someone made and sent to me. The song is Broken by Amy Lee and Seether . Enjoy! And I'll try not to make anyone cry this time.**

_I wanted you to know_

_That I love the way you laugh_

_I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away..._

The words whispered in his ear in a delicate voice, so soft he could barely hear them. He wanted to reach out, to grab onto it. And to never let it go. But it floated away so quickly, so far out of his reach. He wanted to hear that voice again.

And to think that he was the one who had chased it away.

Zoro shut his eyes tight, body swaying back and forth with the motion of the ship. The sea breeze drifted through his senses, taking away the sharp edge of the pain in his head to a dull throb. But he could still hear that voice, and he wanted to hear the real thing.

To hold him in his arms. Take in his scent. Hear his laugh.

...Luffy...

_I keep your photograph_

_And I know it serves me well_

_I wanna hold you high and steal your pain..._

Shivers ran up Zoro's spine as he thought of the boy... who knew it would hurt this much? Why had he let Luffy get in so deep? It felt like there was a part of him missing. All he wanted to do right now was run and find him. To apologize, to hear that everything was all right. But since when did Zoro need to be saved?

He could save himself. But... what about Luffy?

_'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome_

_And I don't wanna feel right_

_when you're gone away..._

Thin arms rested against a strong wooden rail, red vest billowing slightly in the gusts of wind as the Going Merry made it's voyage out over the vast blue sea. Dark eyes stared emotionlessly over the waves.

Zoro had said Luffy didn't need him.

Did that mean... Zoro didn't need him?

That was wrong! Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, _wrong! _Luffy bit his lip, eyes clenching shut, cutting off the view of the sea.

Luffy did need Zoro. He needed him so much it hurt! Why did Zoro say those things? Was he insane? Luffy did too need him!

_You've gone away_

_You don't feel me here anymore..._

Luffy needed Zoro... he was the one who always saved him. Gave him the will to fight on. Zoro always patched him up when he was broken.

And that's how Luffy felt without the swordsman by his side. Broken... and this time, there was no one left to fix him. He was just... _there_.

He opened his eyes and stared down into the ocean's depths. So dark, the waves lapping at the side of the ship. He remembered... whenever he fell in the water, Zoro would save him. Zoro always saved Luffy.

_The worst is over now_

_And we can breathe again_

_I wanna hold you high and steal my pain away..._

Was that the problem? Was Zoro tired of saving Luffy? Had he been a burden? Made his first mate angry?

Luffy was now biting his lower lip so hard now that it hurt, but he didn't care. Had he hurt Zoro when he said he loved him? The swordsman had said it back, but what if he didn't mean it? Luffy didn't even fully understand what love meant. If it caused this much pain... maybe that was what broke him.

And it had broken Zoro too.

Luffy leaned forward. His head felt dizzy.

...broken...

Zoro was broken. And it was all his, Luffy's, fault. He didn't want to hurt Zoro! He wanted to fix him! But... Zoro didn't need Luffy anymore. How could he fix that? What could he do...

_There's so much left to learn_

_And no one left to fight_

_I wanna hold you high and steal your pain..._

The wind gushed in thick torrents, the flag cracking like a whip above his head. The sea waves leapt up, spraying his face with water. The dark night had engulfed the entire ship in it's darkness. It was hollow, empty... like Luffy's heart.

He needed his Zoro! He always saved him... now it was Luffy's turn to save Zoro.

The deck was slippery with sea water, but he didn't notice it as he stood up straight. The storm Nami had predicted was here at last. The ship rocked to and fro, buffeted by the crashing, swirling waves and strong gusts of wind. But Luffy was too busy to notice, too wrapped up in his own thoughts.

He didn't feel the ship plowing over a large wave. But he felt it go down. And he felt his feet slip beneath him, sending him slamming into the rail and tumbling into the raging sea beneath him, death's cold, waiting arms open wide, waiting to embrace Luffy in it's never-ending solitude.

_'Cause I'm broken when I'm open_

_And I don't feel like I am strong enough..._

Zoro felt the storm waves buffeting against the Going Merry and the first droplets of rain had started to fall. It was like tiny ice pellet pummeling his skin, driving frozen needles deep into his skin. He didn't give a damn, though. He swam through water like this before. He didn't care about the rain. Or the howling wind that threatened to send him sailing over board.

But he did, however, care when he saw a figure plummet into the lethal waves below. _Luffy!_

Zoro didn't stop to think, but he never did, usually. His black boots thudded across the sodden wood with amazing speed. He sped up the deck, cold hard rain plummeting from the black skies and screwing up his vision. But he didn't need to see. He could feel. And what he was feeling was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Never had there been this sort of urge inside him.

And he used that urge. He swung a leg up, planting it on the rail, and pushed himself over the deck and into the dark depths of the sea.

_'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome_

_And I don't feel right when you're gone away..._

The water wrapped around him in a freezing cocoon, instantly numbing his skin and sending small shocks of pain into his ears, nose, eyes, and mouth. He ignored it and kept his eyes open.

It was a turmoil of swirling color, blacks, blues, swirling in a mess and changing in the blink of an eye, water currents sending him tumbling. He no longer had an idea of up and down, left or right. There was one center part, and he just had to find it. The dark figure that was sinking down, down, down... he watched, horrified, as Luffy's dropped lower and lower... No.

Not again. He wouldn't lose Luffy again.

_'Cause I'm broken when I'm open_

_And I don't feel like I am strong enough..._

Zoro kicked his legs behind him, arms spreading out and back in powerful strokes that propelled him through the water, going faster then he ever had in his entire life. He could see Luffy, his straw hat drifting behind him in the currents. It was a terrible thing to watch... the one he had broken, the one he loved, to drift down farther and farther... out of his reach... like that voice in his ear.

He couldn't let Luffy get away, he wouldn't allow it!

Not again. Zoro would save him, he'd fix things. He'd fix them all. He said he loved Luffy and he meant it. So therefore... Luffy could die on him. Please, no. Luffy couldn't die...

...he couldn't.

_'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome_

_And I don't feel right when you're gone away..._

He was mere feet away. Luffy's eyes were still open and it broke his heart. Luffy, usually so full of courage... was now afraid. His eyes were wide and frantic as his hands clawed at the water as if he hoped there was a rope there, to pull him back up. But there was something better then that now.

Zoro was here. And if anything could save the straw-hatted boy, it was he. Zoro pushed his muscles beyond their limits, struggling to go faster then the boys freefall.

...Luffy...

Just one foot away... he reached out a hand and grabbed at the boys wrist. He gripped it so hard he was afraid to break the bone, rubber or not.

_'Cause I'm broken when I'm open!_

_And I don't feel like I am strong enough..._

Luffy squinted his eyes to define the fuzzy shape in front of his eyes. He had swallowed a lot of sea water and his thoughts were beginning to slur, his movements slowing. He felt an iron grip clamp down on his wrist and he was being dragged. Dragged to his death? No... someone was pulling him up. Up through his watery grave. He saw the glint of metals... Zoro?

Zoro had come for him?

Oh no... but Zoro was tired of saving him! Oh no... it was happening again! What could he do? He was so happy to see Zoro here... Thoughts of sadness, of regret, were leaving him. He was so cold, but he felt warm. Zoro had come for him. And he was happy with that.

The surface glinted above them like a marble floor, but Luffy knew it was too late. And that was okay! Death was just another adventure, right?

_'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome!_

_And I don't feel right when you're gone away..._

Luffy felt the younger boy become heavier. The legs had stopped kicking, his widened eyes back to normal, eyelids drooped. But... he was smiling? Why? He looked... so happy.

Zoro kicked harder, dragging himself and Luffy up from peril. But the distance seemed so much further and Luffy was so helpless... and it scared the living Hell out of him. He had never been so terrified in his whole life; who knew it would come from the person he cared for the most?

His lungs burned, his limbs felt like they were being weighted down with two-ton boulders. But he had to keep going... Luffy didn't have much time. He was so close, Luffy was so heavy... the surface was within his grasp... with one final, desperate movement, he threw his free arms up and his fingertips broke the surface and with a mighty swipe, he broke the surface.

_'Cause I'm broken when I'm open!_

_And I don't feel like I am strong enough..._

He lugged Luffy up and out of the icy sea water, but the boy didn't cough to get the water out o his lungs. In fact, he felt quite still. But his eyes were still open, staring ahead of him... at Zoro. His eyes, so cold... the spark had died out, a frozen smile still on his face.

"NO!" Zoro yelled, but he wasn't heard over the roar of the waves and rain, the crack of thunder. He could see the Going Merry... Someone was lowering something, hands sticking out of a rope as it swayed in the wind. And someone was on the bottom; he could hear distant shouts. But he didn't care. All he cared about now was Luffy... he had to save him. Because Luffy wasn't dead. There was just no way he could... Zoro hadn't been able to say how sorry he was, to hear him laugh with him again, to hold him...

Another wave curled up from the deep depths, towering over their heads for a brief moment. But Zoro didn't see it; he was staring at Luffy, shouting his name, doing everything and anything, just to get him back. But the eyes remained lifeless, the smile still carved in his face like stone.

And the wave crashed down on their heads.

_'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome!_

_And I don't feel right when you're gone away..._

In a brief moment of shock, Zoro felt Luffy's body pop out from his arms. His mouth opened to shout out "NO!" but all that came out was a thick stream of bubbles. He kicked, trying to follow. But he felt pairs of hands grab at his arms, pulling him, holding him back. No! He had to... he had to get to Luffy! They couldn't take him away, not again! Not ever again!

But all he could do was watch hopelessly as Luffy drifted down slowly, buffeted slightly by the water current like a feeble flag in the wind. His smile was still there and he was staring up at Zoro. How could Luffy be happy? Zoro hadn't told him just how much he loved him, how sorry he was! No... it wasn't supposed to end this way, no! LUFFY!

The hands eventually drug him out of the water. He caught a last glimpse of the falling boy, like an angel falling in the sky... wings left behind, torn away from him, and it was Zoro's fault. He really wasn't what Luffy needed. He couldn't save him. No...

_You've gone away..._

He was flopped back on a hard, wooden surface. He heard familiar voices calling his name, but they were so far away. So distant. That disembodied feeling clutched at him with an incredible strength, he could almost feel it eating away at his insides. Like his soul being ripped from his body to follow Luffy, down to the bottom of the ocean. To his own death.

Luffy was gone... he was really gone... Zoro couldn't save him. He'd never see the boy again. That stony smile would always be there... and those lightless eyes.

_You don't feel me anymore..._

A wave crashed on the ship and the water streamed over the deck. And with it brought an odd pale object, a jaunt of red catching his eye. With trembling fingertips, Zoro picked it up. It was sodden with water, darkened by the lack of light. Or was it the loss of it's owner?

The straw hat...

Zoro threw his head back and even though the thunder clapped, the waves crashed with an uproar, the rain sounding like millions of tiny guns going off, his words could be heard. They rang out through the sea, shattering all surrounding noise.

"LUUUUUUFFFFFFFFFFYYYYYYYY!"

**End**

**A/N: Let it be known I did NOT mean for Luffy to die. I was gonna have him live and Zoro be a real hero. But I went for the angsty ending instead. Sorry it sucked so much, I didn't mean for it to U.U. I thought it would turn out a lot better. Well, tell me what you think! If you want me to re-do it, I will. Just tell me, please?**


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